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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ahnehnois" data-source="post: 2019572" data-attributes="member: 17106">Intimidate isn't all about being loud and threatening. I imagine the sage quietly and firmly getting people to do what he wants. Is it as appropriate as Diplo and Bluff? No. I might remove it now that the sage can select additional class skills.Maybe you're right...Sages aren't quintessential spies but they can darn well trick people. Being observant helps make a comvincong disguise. I don't see it being a popular choice, but it isn't that popular for the other classes that have it either.Awkward yes, but I think they're balanced at least and I want to give something at early levels while saving the full version for high levels. The Greater versions at those levels would be too powerful, combined with everything else the sage gets. The other thing I had thought of was making the sage assign his Defensive Insight to a single foe, like dodge, and upgrading that at 15th, which might be cleaner.I don't know how to reword to combat Int ability though. I want to give some benefit, but I want to make the sage take Weapon Focus to get a better benefit. If I simply applies Int to attacks first and to damage later, why would a level 1 sage take Weapon Focus except to gain the benefit of the feat itself (which isn't that great compared to having a martial or exotic weapon).You're supposed to be taking these sorts of feats anyway. In my mind, it's a reward for taking the feat, not a requirement to take it. You could say the same think about bardic music, which *requires* you to take Perform, a skill that makes sense for the bard to take but would not normally be forced on him.I can try to reword it so a sage without the feat gets something.It's not that big of a bonus; part of this is about making Skill Focus a better option. The idea was partially from this suggestion: "The courtier, from OA, had an ability. that whenever they took skill focus in an intelligence, wisdom, or charsima based skill they increased the bonus by +2. That seems to fit the flavor of the sage quite well, and it provides an incentive to take skill focus."I don't see this as any different from rogues and monks having evasion in their good save, making them almost immune to reflex save spells. I want the sage to be almost immune to mind-affecting. He's a strong-minded character. And if there's one rogue ability the sage ought to have, it's this one.I'm still not satisfied to be throwing  it in at 17th level, but I can't find a better place for it. I'd really like to make it a choice instead of a bonus feat or something, but I don't have enough abilities for a real special ability list and it would be awkward to put it there.It is not clear? Maybe I'll reword to within reach.For simplicity's sake, I guess I will.I edited various abilities and clarified some things.</blockquote>

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